Video display screen segmentation

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for controlling the format of a video display. The apparatus includes a profile module for defining at least one profile. The profile has at least one display characteristic of video information associated with a type of application. The apparatus also includes a runtime engine in communication with the profile module. The runtime engine accepts the video information, modifies the video information according to the profile, and outputs the modified video information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Video display monitors, such as those for displaying computer or television signals, are increasingly becoming relied upon to display a variety of content from a multitude of applications. For example, a computer display may simultaneously display multiple items such as, for example, a message manager, an Internet web browser, a television signal, a calendar, etc. When an application for a new item is started, the item appears on the display at a seemingly random location and is sized to a seemingly random size. The user often has no control over the placement and sizing of an item unless the user manually adjusts the parameters relating to the location and sizing of the item after the application displaying the item has been invoked. As more items are displayed on the display, the manual task of locating and sizing items becomes tedious and may have to be repeated upon each invocation of an application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to an apparatus for controlling the format of a video display. The apparatus includes a profile module for defining at least one profile. The profile has at least one display characteristic of video information associated with a type of application. The apparatus also includes a runtime engine in communication with the profile module. The runtime engine accepts the video information, modifies the video information according to the profile, and outputs the modified video information.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method of segmenting a video display. The method includes creating a profile by associating a display characteristic with an application and accepting video information associated with the application. The method also includes modifying the video information according to the profile and outputting the modified video information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages of the present invention may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video segmentation apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing a process flow through the profile module of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing a process flow through the runtime engine of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an example of a graphical user interface for the profile module of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are examples of screen segmentations according to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, other elements. For example, certain operating system and display details and modules are not described herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, however, that these and other elements may be desirable. However, because such elements are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements is not provided herein.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for segmentation of a video display, or video screen, such as those found on television sets or computer monitors, into virtual video sectors, areas, or regions. A user may interactively manage the segmentation of the screen by assigning screen areas and display priorities for applications or groups of applications. The term “application” as used herein may include any type of device, system, or apparatus that outputs graphical information to a video display.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video segmentation apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 10 includes a profile module 12 and a runtime engine 14. The profile module 12 allows a user of, for example, a computer on which the apparatus 10 is resident, to define a profile for that user's video viewing preferences (e.g. the size and location of a particular video object that is to be displayed by an application). The runtime engine 14 translates video address maps from a computer operating system into output video address maps for the local video space that take into account the user's preferences.

The profile module 12 and the runtime engine 14 each contain various modules (i.e. sub-modules). The profile module 12 includes an application identification module 16. The application identification module 16 allows the user of the apparatus 10 to identify various applications for which a profile will be created. An application classification module 18 creates groups, or classes, of applications for which the user desires to have the same display characteristics. A screen definition module 20 allows the user to define the display characteristics to create a profile for each group. A preview module 22 allows the user to preview a profile or multiple profiles on the display screen. Each profile for each class is stored in profile storage 24. The profile storage 24 may be any suitable storage medium such as, for example, a magnetic medium such as a floppy disk or a computer hard disk drive, or an optical medium such as a compact disc.

The runtime engine 14 controls the characteristics of the display device during operation. A profile selection module 26 allows the user to select the profile or profiles that should be used during operation. A preview module 28 operates similarly to the preview module 20 of the profile module 12, but it allows the user to preview a profile or profiles without invoking the profile module 12. A profile runtime module 30 performs the mapping of an input operating system video address map to an output video address map that is in conformance with the profile or profiles that the user has selected using the profile selection module 26. It can be understood that the present invention may be used in conjunction with any type of operating system because the engine 14 operates on the video address map. An invoke profile module 32 allows the user to invoke the profile module 12 so that the user can, for example, edit or create profiles.

The various modules of the apparatus 10 may be implemented in, for example, computer hardware or computer software code using, for example, any suitable type of computer language such as, for example, C, C++, or Java using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques. The various modules (or portions thereof) of the apparatus 10 may be stored on a computer-readable medium such as, for example, a magnetic medium such as a floppy disk or a computer hard disk drive, or an optical medium such as a compact disc. The profile module 12 may be implemented as, for example, a “wizard” application that allows the user to, for example, create and edit profiles using user-friendly menus in a step-by-step process.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing a process flow through the profile module 12 of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The process starts at step 100. At step 102, the user identifies an application that is to be mapped to the display. At step 104, the process determines if the user would like to identify more applications. If so, the process returns to step 102. If not, the process advances to step 106, where the user classifies applications into groups. A group can include, for example, applications that are similar and which the user would like to have similar display priorities and display characteristics (e.g. location on the display).

At step 108, the real and virtual sizes of the display screen are defined. The definition process may be aided by, for example, the profile module 12 having access to such parameters (e.g. from the operating system) for common makes and models of commercially-available displays. At step 110 the process obtains the first group for profile creation and at step 112 the characteristics of the display for the selected group are defined as a profile for that group. For example, the screen region, identified by the region's pixels, where the applications associated with the selected group will be displayed is defined.

At step 114, the process determines if another group needs to have a profile defined. If so, the process advances to step 116 where the next group to be defined is obtained and the profile for that group is defined at step 112. If no more groups were available for processing at step 114, the process advances to step 118 where a preview of the various profiles is available for viewing by the user. At step 120, the profiles that were created are stored in the profile storage 24.

It can be understood that in various embodiments of the process illustrated in FIG. 2, the process may have additional steps. For example, after step 118, in one embodiment the user may re-enter the process at any point to change groupings, re-define profiles, etc. if, for example, the user is not satisfied with the display previewed at step 118. Also, in one embodiment a user may select display characteristics that are to be used when displaying video content from applications that were not placed in a group—i.e. the user can define a profile to be used as a default profile. Furthermore, in one embodiment a user may define an application or group of applications for which video content is not to be displayed. In a further embodiment, a user may be given remote access to the profile module 12 via, for example, email, remote assistance (i.e. a “hotline”), or the Internet so that the user may create or modify a profile remotely.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing a process flow through the runtime engine 14 of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The process starts at step 200 either, for example, automatically on startup of a computer or manually by a user. At step 202 the user selects a first profile that is to be used to construct the display during operation of the runtime engine 14. In one embodiment, a profile or multiple profiles are automatically selected when the engine 14 is invoked. The user may then select an alternate profile or profiles at any time during execution of the engine 14. At step 204, the process determines if the user wants to preview the selected profile on the display. If so, the process displays how the profile will appear on the display during runtime at step 206.

At step 208, the process determines if the user desires to select additional profiles. If so, the process returns to step 202 for the user to select another profile. If the user does not desire to select additional profiles, the process advances to step 210, where the runtime engine begins its runtime operation by accepting a video address map from an operating system. At step 212, the process classifies each portion of the address map into a group, as defined hereinabove in conjunction with FIG. 2. The process matches each group to a profile, translates the input address map into an output address map, and the video is displayed according to the relevant profile or profiles at step 214.

After the video has been displayed at step 214, the process determines if the user desires to select a different profile for a portion of the display at step 216. If so, the process advances to step 202 where the user may select another profile. If the user does not desire to select a different profile, the process advances to step 218 where the process determines if the user desires to edit or create a profile. If the user desires to edit or create a profile, the process advances to step 220 where the profile module 12 is invoked. If the user does not want to edit or create a profile, the process returns to step 210. It can be understood that steps 216 and 218 need not prompt the user after each display at step 214. Instead, the user can select, for example, a profile switch option or a profile edit/create option that will act as, for example, interrupts at any time during execution of the process. The interrupts would then interrupt the process after the video is displayed at step 214.

FIG. 4 is an example of a graphical user interface for the profile module 12 of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The interface shows a profile preview 300 generated by the preview module 22. Each of the numbered regions 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 illustrates a profile that was created for various groups of applications. The preview 300 shows how each group will be displayed during runtime by the runtime engine 14. A profile setup 312 displays the characteristics of each of the profiles. For example, the setup 312 illustrates the characteristics of the profile for the region 302. As can be seen, the profile associated with the region 302 includes groups having MPEG video and CD ROM applications. The applications associated with those groups include a VCD player, a DVD player, an NTSC TV studio, and an MPEG tool. The profile for those groups specifies that applications requesting display space should be displayed in the upper left of the display and sized at 22%.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are examples of screen segmentations according to embodiments of the present invention. As can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6, the number of combinations of screen segmentations is limitless and a user can define profiles according to the user's interests and needs. Also, in one embodiment of the invention, the apparatus 10 may contain pre-defined template screen segmentations and their attendant profiles so that a user can select a template and does not have to define segmentation preferences. In one embodiment of the present invention, each region may contain an adjustment object 400. The objects 400 may allow a user to minimize, close, move, or resize a region or to change or delete the profile associated with a region.

Although FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a segmentation in which the regions are non-overlapping, it can be understood that there can be any combination of overlapping and non-overlapping regions. Also, the present invention may be used when a video space is larger than the capacity of its attendant video display (e.g. in the case of a panning display) and when a video space spans across multiple displays (e.g. dual head displays).

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, it should be apparent, however, that various modifications, alterations and adaptations to those embodiments may occur to persons skilled in the art with the attainment of some or all of the advantages of the present invention. It is therefore intended to cover all such modifications, alterations and adaptations without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. An apparatus for controlling segmentation of a video display, comprising: a profile module for defining at least one profile of a user's video viewing preferences for the video display, the profile having at least one of a plurality of display characteristics of video information associated with a type of application, and the display characteristics including assigned screen area, a display size, and a display priority; wherein the profile module includes an application classification module for creating groups of different applications, each group of different applications having a respective profile; and a runtime engine in communication with the profile module, the runtime engine for accepting the video information, modifying the video information according to the profile, and outputting the modified video information for display on the video display such that the video display displays the video information in one or more segments of the video display according to the display profiles of a plurality of different simultaneously displayed applications of different groups.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an operating system in communication with the runtime engine.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the profile module includes an application identification module.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the profile module includes a screen definition module.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the profile module includes a preview module.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the profile module includes storage for the profile.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the runtime engine includes a profile selection module.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the runtime engine includes a preview module.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the runtime engine includes a profile runtime module.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the runtime engine includes an invoke profile module.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the video information includes a video address map.
 12. A method of segmenting a video display, comprising: creating a profile of a users video viewing preferences for the video display by associating at least one of a plurality of display characteristics with a group of different applications, wherein the display characteristics include an assigned screen area, a display size, and a display priority, and different groups of different applications have respective profiles; accepting video information associated with an application; modifying the video information according to the respective profile of the group that include the application; and outputting the modified video information for display on the video display such that the video display displays the video information in one or more segments of the video display according to the display profiles of a plurality of different simultaneously displayed applications of different groups.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein accepting video information includes accepting a video address map.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein modifying the video information includes translating a video address map.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein outputting the modified video information includes outputting a translated video address map.
 16. An apparatus, comprising: means for creating a profile of a users video viewing preferences for a video display by associating at least one of a plurality of display characteristics with an application, wherein the display characteristics include an assigned screen area, a display size, and a display priority; and the creating mean includes an application classification module for creating groups of different applications, each group of different applications having a respective profile; and means for accepting video information associated with an application, for modifying the video information according to the respective profile of the group that includes the application, and for outputting the modified video information for display on the video display such that the video display displays the video information in one or more segments of the video display according to the display profiles of a plurality of different simultaneously displayed applications of different groups.
 17. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: create a profile of a users video viewing preferences for a video display by associating at least one of a plurality of display characteristics with a group of different applications, wherein the display characteristics include an assigned screen area, a display size, and a display priority, and different groups of different applications have respective profiles; accept video information associated with an application; modify the video information according to the respective profile of the group that includes the application; and output the modified video information for display on the video display such that the video display displays the video information in one or more segments of the video display according to the display profiles of a plurality of different simultaneously displayed applications of different groups. 